Third Annual Michael McMullen Softball Tournament

It's time again for the 3rd annual Michael J. McMullen softball tournament sponsored by the Salisbury Fire Department. Mike McMullen was a firefighter paramedic with the SFD when on Dec. 24, 2005 he was mortally wounded while serving with the 243rd Engineer Battalion, 2nd platoon in Iraq as a sergeant. Mike was wounded while assisting a fellow soldier that had been injured in the attack on Dec. 24th and succumbed to his injuries on January 10th, 2006.

For his actions Mike was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant and was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Army commendation Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

Truly an American Hero at home and abroad Mike was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full Fire Department and Military Honors.

In Mike's memory the Salisbury Fire Department host this softball tournament to help funding for two local scholarships. The "Salisbury University Fire & Rescue Service Survivors Scholarship" and the "Wor-Wic community College Emergency Medical Services Scholarship".

For more information on the tournament contact by phone or E-mail any of the persons listed above. For more information on the scholarships, contact Danny Webster @ 410.572.8738 or e-mail @ dwebster@woewic.edu.

Please join us for the fun on September 6 & 7 and cheer for your favorite team.

Women Supporting Women Longaberger Basket and Dinner Event is a Huge Success

On August 15th Women Supporting Women held their annual Longaberger Basket and Dinner event at the Wicomico County Civic Center in Salisbury. A silent auction, live auction, chinese auction, 50/50 drawing, candy sale, dinner and guest speaker were all on the agenda.

Over three-hundred people attended this event which proved to be extremely well received by all. The guest speaker for the evening was humorist Carol Moore and I am told she was extremely entertaining.

Prior to the main event the ladies in attendance were kept quite busy in the large room with he silent auction items. Tables around the perimeter displayed quilts, baskets, and all manner of crafts and merchandise.

One of the items in the silent auction that caught my eye in particular was a tiny life sized woodcarving of a ruby throated hummingbird perched on the edge of it's nest with tiny eggs inside. I am told the carver of this fine piece is a cancer survivor and donated it for the event.

Also many of the local businesses supporting this event were on hand with products specifically for women having suffered the devastating results of breast cancer. Mr. Dean Coffelt of Apple Discount Drugs expertly answered questions and offer information on their products.

Apple Discount Drugs is a regional sponsor for Women Supporting Women. Their professional staff is always willing to assist with your needs.

Above are three of the items featured in the live Auction. A beautiful Chess Set donated by "Spoontiques", a Mercedes pedal car donated by "I.G. Burton" of Seaford, and a quilt donated and a quilt donated by Joyce Hickman. The live auction was conducted by Doug Marshall of "Marshall Auctions" and as usual he did a wonderful job.

Remember, all monies raised by Women Supporting Women remain in the local area to aid and assist patients who have suffered from this terrible disease. As dates become available for future events I shall post them for your convenience. Thanks to all who attended this basket and dinner event and thanks to all of the sponsors.

Sun Dog over Salisbury

Late Tuesday afternoon a sun dog appeared in the western sky over Salisbury. This is an interesting phenomenon that occurs when the sun is near the horizon and sunlight is refracted through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The University of Illinois website "WW 2010" explains it this way....

"Sun dogs, also known as mock suns or "parhelia", are a pair of brightly colored spots, one on either side of the sun.

Sun dogs form as sunlight is refracted by hexagonal plate-like ice crystals with diameters larger than 30 micrometers and their flat faces horizontally oriented.
Sun dogs are visible when the sun is near the horizon and on the same horizontal plane as the observer and the ice crystals. As sunlight passes through the ice crystals, it is bent by 22 degrees before reaching our eyes, much like what happens with 22 degree halos. This bending of light results in the formation of a sun dog."



Interesting to look at to say the least.

Dedication of SFD Station 16, Cypress St.

The City of Salisbury and the Salisbury Fire Department held dedication ceremonies for the new Station 16 at 325 Cypress St. in Salisbury on Saturday, August 23. On hand for the event were Mayor Tilghman, city council president Louse Smith, representatives from the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate, and many other local dignitaries.

A special presentation of an American

Flag flown in Iraq was presented to the family of Michael McMullen.

Mike was a Fire Fighter Paramedic with the Salisbury Fire Department and was on duty in Iraq with the National Guard unit which he served, when in 2006 his convoy came under attack. While Mike was attempting to aid and assist a fellow soldier injured in the attack when he himself was mortally wounded.

Lt. David Insley of the SFD Special Ops Team, Chief See, SFD President Mark Cotter, and Mayor Tilghman presented the flag and proclamation to Mikes family on behalf of the marine expeditionary unit that honored Mike with this gift.

When the presentations and proclamations had been completed inside the event moved outside where the cornerstone to the building was official laid jointly by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Maryland and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Lodge of Maryland. History was made this day for both of these fine Masonic organizations as it was the first time ever the two had participated in a joint ceremony of this kind in the State of Maryland.

After the cornerstone ceremony and official ribbon cutting, or in this case a "hose uncoupling" was performed at the front of the building. The building was then open to tours and refreshments for all in attendance.

This new building, long overdue, incorporates several entities of the Salisbury Fire Department to a single location. On the south end of the building is the departments administrative wing with office and conference areas as well the quartermaster supply depot for the department. The center of the building are the equipment bays and on the north end you will find the living quarters, fitness room, conference room, and offices for the line officers of the department. Also in this area is the training facility which included realistic props for all manners of training including a four story tower to be used for fire fighting and rescue evolutions.

Additionally the station was designed to accommodate future growth in the department and should serve the city for longer than the building it replaces on South Division St, which has stood and served for more than 80 years.

Station 16 Dedication

From the Salisbury Fire Department web site:

The Salisbury Fire Department will be holding a formal dedication ceremony of our new Fire Station 16 and Fire Headquarters facilities located at 325 Cypress Street, on Saturday, August, 23rd at 10 am. We will have a welcome address from Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman, and remarks from Chief David B. See.

The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Mr. Gregory Cade, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Fire Administration.

Representatives of the Masonic Lodges of Maryland will be on hand to help with a special cornerstone ceremony. Traditional fire department ribbon cutting displays will take place, with our usual twist. An open house will immediately follow the ceremony. The open house will feature demonstrations and static displays by the Salisbury Fire Department Special Operations Team, light refreshments provided by the Salisbury Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, and continuous tours for the duration of the event.

Numerous agencies will have displays during the open house, also. The Maryland State Police “Convincer” will be on hand for demos, weather permitting. Overflow parking will be available in the shopping center lot across the street from Fire Station 16. The public is invited to this free, family event. If you should have any questions concerning this event, please contact Firefighter/Paramedic Melissa L. Brown, PIO, at 443-235-7134

Wicomico Farm & Home Show

Due to a previous engagement We were not able to get over to Winter Place Park until afternoon today and unfortunately many of the activities were over with. The last time I went to a Farm & Home show, it was held at the Civic Center and I have to say the quality of the exhibits were impressive but the quantity was a bit disappointing. I know the area at Winter Place has much more square footage than the Civic Center but there certainly was not enough to on display to even come close to fill the arena.

There was some good entertainment though. Pictured here is Malcolm and Carol Russ of "MoonStruck Music" from Exmore Virginia. The Russ's set up in the main arena and began to play, sing and perform and I can tell you they were a delight to listen and talk to. When they finished one number I jokingly asked Malcolm if he was playing a violin or a fiddle and he accurately replied "It all depends on what kind of music is coming out of it."
They then treated us to some violin music and followed that quickly with a rendition of "Louisiana Saturday Night" on the fiddle. Carol accompanied on the accordion and believe me it was a real toe tapper. Should you have a need for light entertainment please give them a call and see what they have to offer. Reach them by phone at 757.442.4982 or e-mail at moonstruckmusic@verizon.net .



There were activities for the youngsters as well. One event that was fun to watch was the pedal tractor pull. I don't know what kind of weight these kids were pulling but just like the real deal the sled moved the weight forward as the kids pedaled down the course. By the time they reached their limit those guys were really working to move the pedals too. We only watched a couple of these relays but it sure seemed like everyone was having a good time.



Many of the readers of this BLOG know I am very much in favor of recycling and for that reason I was very much interested with the "Black Dog" vendor at the show today. The Gentleman on hand was able to tell me that the Adirondack Chairs picture here are made of 100% recycled plastic.
All those bottles that once held soda, milk, detergent, etc are being used to make these chairs. A UV protecting agent is incorporated and the color goes all the way through. The surface is textured to look like wood and each chair weighs in at a hefty 70 lbs. Little chance of losing that in a windstorm. Black Dog also sells Amish Barns and Gazebos here as well as Lighthouse, and Wishing Well lawn ornaments. Black Dog is located in Pocomoke MD and be reached at
410.957.1993 for information on their products.

2008 Maryland Renaissance Faire

It is time again to think about the Faire! That's right, The Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville MD. starts this month and runs on weekends through October. Below is a copy of their schedule for this year.




August:
23, 24, 30, 31
September:
1, 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28
October:
4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19

Open from 10:00am - 7:00pm.





The Faire is open rain or shine and if you go wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a full day of entertainment.

For more information visit the Faire site at:

http://www.rennfest.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

or just Google, Maryland Renaissance Faire.

Hope is on the Horizon Dinner event this Friday

Don't Forget!

The 9th Annual "Hope is on the Horizon" Longaberger basket and dinner event will be held this Friday, August 15th.

Contact Women Supporting Women @ 410.548.7880 for information & tickets.

Also--new events for WSW are upcoming. Watch this site for more info.

August 10th, 1861. The Battle of Wilson's Creek

In 1861, Americans were preoccupied by the question of which states would join the secession movement and which would remain loyal to the Union. In Missouri, it was largely settled at “Wilson's Creek” on August 10, 1861, in a contest that is rightly considered the second major battle of the Civil War. As with most Civil War battles the engagement was named differently by the Confederacy. In the South it has come to be called “The Battle of Oak Hills”. This was the second major battle of the Civil war and is sometimes referred to as the Bull Run of the west.

On August 9th 1861 Union forces under the command of Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyons (top photo) was camped at Springfield Missouri. Confederate troops under the command of Brigadier General Ben McCulloch( bottom photo) were approaching. Both sides formulated plans to attack the other and at 5 a.m. on August 10th General Lyons attacked the Confederate forces 12 miles south of Springfield at Wilson’s Creek. The Confederate Calvary initially fell back but was soon reinforced by other troops and stabilized their position.

A bit later in the morning the Confederates attacked the Union lines a total of 3 times, successfully routing a column to the south of the main battle and taking the life of General Lyons. Around 11:00 a.m. the confederates withdrew from the field and Major Samuel Sturgis, General Lyons replacement, recognizeing that his men were exhausted and his ammunition was low, retreated to Springfield. The Confederates, also exhausted and somewhat disorganized did not pursue.

Casualties war more than 1200 for the Union forces and nearly1100 for the confederates and marked the first death of a Union General with the loss of General Lyons.

This Confederate victory buoyed southern sympathizers in Missouri.
In late October, a rump convention, convened by Governor C.F. Jackson met in Neosho and passed out an ordinance of secession. Wilson's Creek, the most significant 1861 battle in Missouri, gave the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri.

How to Hide an Airplane Factory

I received this from a family member who knows I am a bit of a history buff. During WWII the Lockheed Plant in Burbank California was a sprawling site employing thousands of people and building airplanes critical to winning the war. The site was easily recognizable from the air it was feared that Japanese airplanes would attempt to bomb it. Engineers devised a plan to hide the plant with camouflage netting and make the entire area appear as a residential neighborhood. The pictures to the right show the plant before and after the netting was put in place.

More photos of this monumental and amazing feat can be see here: http://www.anvari.org/cols/Hiding_Lockheed_Burbank_Aircraft_Plant.html